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stagasaurus's review against another edition
4.0
Wow! I can see why I kept this one for twenty three years. Genuinely good. This book breaks so many point horror cliches. There are no misleading cliff hanger chapter endings, no jumpy bits. Just a slow shivery crawl. The characters are not as shallow as the other books either. Does have some amazing descriptions that made me raise an eyebrow though. "The sun was going down like a circle of construction paper falling off the bulletin board."
Reminds me of: Nothing I can think of.
"It was probably just a practical joke" moment: No one said this.
"You probably just imagined it" moment: A few people lied to themselves but it was different somehow.
Innocent victims?: Interesting the effect of hate creating hate. I didn't pick that up when I read it as a teenager but it's a clever analogy. So many parallels that you could read into this all through history and present.
How blindingly obvious?: There's no mystery, we know who's behind everything from the start but it doesn't make it any less scary.
Plot holes / Unfinished plot lines: The whole ending is deliberately left open for us to choose our own ending. I would have liked to have known more though.
Inappropriate happy ending: Again, breaks another cliche in that this does not happen. The ending feels grown up and messy. What does she do with the evil girl when she warms her up?
Reminds me of: Nothing I can think of.
Spoiler
"It was probably just a practical joke" moment: No one said this.
"You probably just imagined it" moment: A few people lied to themselves but it was different somehow.
Innocent victims?: Interesting the effect of hate creating hate. I didn't pick that up when I read it as a teenager but it's a clever analogy. So many parallels that you could read into this all through history and present.
How blindingly obvious?: There's no mystery, we know who's behind everything from the start but it doesn't make it any less scary.
Plot holes / Unfinished plot lines: The whole ending is deliberately left open for us to choose our own ending. I would have liked to have known more though.
Inappropriate happy ending: Again, breaks another cliche in that this does not happen. The ending feels grown up and messy. What does she do with the evil girl when she warms her up?
liamunderwood's review against another edition
3.0
I have very mixed feelings about Caroline B. Cooney's writing style - it worked for me in The Cheerleader but then really didn't work for me at all in The Return of the Vampire and her contribution to Thirteen Tales of Horror. I would hesitantly say that I found it more palatable in Freeze Tag for the most part, but it still reads to me as very detached from the story and the characters, too focused on flowery language trying to be poetic and deep and far too often stumbling. But Cooney does do one thing well which sets her Point Horror books apart from the vast majority of other entries - she incorporates supernatural elements.
Freeze Tag opens with an innocent childhood game, except one of the children playing actually possesses the ability to freeze others, rendering them unable to move upon touch. A hasty promise is made. Time marches on and the game and promise are forgotten, the kids grow up, friendships develop into relationships, and all is well. Until it is time to make good on the promise, and the threat of the power to freeze is dangerously dangled. I really enjoyed the set-up of this book and the first 100 or so pages are very compelling, with the plot enticing enough that I could overlook my struggles with the writing style.
However, the inevitable ending is very clearly signposted and the last 60 or so pages are spent painfully limping to predictability, and then it's all still rushed and underwhelming. The majority of this book is really solid, and Cooney's writing does have flashes that are very good. I liked the characters, and the book did an admirable job of side-stepping most Point Horror tropes. Yet for every flash of genius there are several moments that made me want to roll my eyes, and the limp ending (which also feels strangely unresolved) definitely put a dampener on the experience.
3/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
3) Fatal Secrets - 3.5/5
4) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
5) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
6) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
7) The Hitchhiker - 3.5/5
8) April Fools - 3.5/5
9) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
10) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
11) Freeze Tag - 3/5
12) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
13) The Accident - 3/5
14) Funhouse - 3/5
15) The Invitation - 2.5/5
16) The Waitress - 2.5/5
17) The Snowman - 2.5/5
18) The Mall - 2.5/5
19) The Boyfriend - 2/5
20) Mother's Helper - 2/5
21) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
22) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
23) Beach Party - 1/5
Freeze Tag opens with an innocent childhood game, except one of the children playing actually possesses the ability to freeze others, rendering them unable to move upon touch. A hasty promise is made. Time marches on and the game and promise are forgotten, the kids grow up, friendships develop into relationships, and all is well. Until it is time to make good on the promise, and the threat of the power to freeze is dangerously dangled. I really enjoyed the set-up of this book and the first 100 or so pages are very compelling, with the plot enticing enough that I could overlook my struggles with the writing style.
However, the inevitable ending is very clearly signposted and the last 60 or so pages are spent painfully limping to predictability, and then it's all still rushed and underwhelming. The majority of this book is really solid, and Cooney's writing does have flashes that are very good. I liked the characters, and the book did an admirable job of side-stepping most Point Horror tropes. Yet for every flash of genius there are several moments that made me want to roll my eyes, and the limp ending (which also feels strangely unresolved) definitely put a dampener on the experience.
3/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
3) Fatal Secrets - 3.5/5
4) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
5) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
6) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
7) The Hitchhiker - 3.5/5
8) April Fools - 3.5/5
9) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
10) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
11) Freeze Tag - 3/5
12) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
13) The Accident - 3/5
14) Funhouse - 3/5
15) The Invitation - 2.5/5
16) The Waitress - 2.5/5
17) The Snowman - 2.5/5
18) The Mall - 2.5/5
19) The Boyfriend - 2/5
20) Mother's Helper - 2/5
21) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
22) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
23) Beach Party - 1/5
beaniequeenie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
renatasnacks's review against another edition
2.0
was this book brought to me by Pizza Hut? Anyway I want to go to Pizza Hut now.
https://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-153-freeze-tag/
https://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-153-freeze-tag/
satomi's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t know what it is, but this story does not settle well in me. The Lannie character was described so horribly with no redeemable quality, which really bothered me.
I read on just because I wanted to find out what would become of her. I was careless about other characters.
This is one of the point horrors, and you can read it free if you are member of the Kindle Unlimited member.
I read on just because I wanted to find out what would become of her. I was careless about other characters.
This is one of the point horrors, and you can read it free if you are member of the Kindle Unlimited member.
pastelpaperback's review against another edition
4.0
I can see how some people might not enjoy this book. It doesn't give you a lot of explanation. But as a Caroline B. Cooney enthusiast, wow this just checked all the boxes for me.
She writes about suburbia in the most nostalgic and somehow horrific ways possible. I love how she waxes poetically about kool-aid for a full paragraph. There's nothing quite like it. Her words just stick with me. I always end up highlighting like half her stuff, feeling like I've been pulled into this little world that only she can write.
And yeah, this book is about a girl who can *literally* freeze other people into statues and eventual death and when I tell you, the scenes where main character Lannie just does this for fun—to watch people suffer—were absolutely (all puns intended) chilling.
Also, if you want a book that's just steeped in winter imagery, this knocks it out of the park.
She writes about suburbia in the most nostalgic and somehow horrific ways possible. I love how she waxes poetically about kool-aid for a full paragraph. There's nothing quite like it. Her words just stick with me. I always end up highlighting like half her stuff, feeling like I've been pulled into this little world that only she can write.
And yeah, this book is about a girl who can *literally* freeze other people into statues and eventual death and when I tell you, the scenes where main character Lannie just does this for fun—to watch people suffer—were absolutely (all puns intended) chilling.
Also, if you want a book that's just steeped in winter imagery, this knocks it out of the park.
brianzangel13's review against another edition
3.0
It wasnt a bad book but its definitely written for a younger audience. I liked some of Caroline's other books a lot better.
xtine4o8's review
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
dancinghooves27's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed most of this book although there were a few passages that bothered me towards the beginning and when West is stolen by Lannie. I also really started liking it when I recognized the influence of "The Snow Queen" through the pages and the more fairy tale aspect that started coming through. And the ending of the book. Possibly another re-read is in the future.
bookish_bobbin's review against another edition
4.0
A really good story. I kinda wish there was more of an ending though! No spoiler, I just wish there was more. You will find out if you read it!